Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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791. To ask the Minister for Health the basis upon which eligibility for personal assistant support for a disabled person is determined; the current statutory basis for this eligibility; if a person requires a medical card or must satisfy a means test in order to qualify for personal assistant support; the eligibility criteria that applies in relation to whether or not the person is cohabiting with another person; and if he will generally set out any qualifying rules that apply. [8060/22]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The HSE provides a range of assisted living services including Personal Assistant Services to support individuals to maximise their capacity to live full and independent lives.

PA Services are provided either directly by the HSE or through a range of voluntary service providers. The majority of specialised disability provision (80%) is delivered through non-statutory sector service providers.

Services are accessed through an application process or through referrals from public health nurses or other community based staff. Individuals’ needs are evaluated against the criteria for prioritisation for the particular services and then decisions are made in relation to the allocation of resources. Resource allocation is determined by the needs of the individual, compliance with prioritisation criteria, and the level of resources available.

As with every service there is not a limitless resource available for the provision of PA services and while the resources available are substantial they are finite. In this context, services are discretionary and the number of hours granted is determined by other support services already provided to the person/family.

As the delivery of Personal Assistance is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to reply directly to the Deputy with further information on the eligibility criteria and the criteria for prioritisation.